11 killed during Holi celebrations in Delhi

New Delhi: Eleven people, including a
couple, lost their lives in separate incidents on the day of
Holi in the national capital even as police challaned around
8,000 people for various traffic violations.

Murders of a driver and a labourer, five fatal
accidents killing seven people and drowning of two teenagers
were reported yesterday with police saying these incidents
were related to Holi. Among the dead are two women, both
victims of road accidents.
A couple -- insurance agent Vinay Rai (27) and his
wife Deepa (23) -- were killed in Mukarba Chowk yesterday when
their motorcycle collided with a tempo while their minor
children escaped death.

Deepa died on the spot while Vinay succumbed to his
injuries at Babu Jagjivan Ram hospital during treatment. Their
one-and-half-year-old child escaped unhurt while four-year-old
daughter suffered head injuries.

They were on way to the house of Deepa`s parents in
Seemapuri to celebrate Holi. The couple and the children
resided in Rohini Sector 24, a senior police official said.

The families of the couple came to know about the
incident after one of the eye-witnesses called a number from
Vinay`s mobile which happened to be that of a neighbour. "The
neighbour then informed the families about the accident after
which they rushed to the hospital," he said.

A driver Surender (28), who is also a Bajrang Dal
worker, was beaten to death allegedly by a security guard
Veerpal in Outer Delhi`s Vijay Vihar last evening following an
argument over liquor, a senior police official said.

"Surender went to Veerpal and demanded liquor and
ganja saying it was a dry day and he wanted it badly. An
argument followed when Veerpal refused to heed to his plea and
in the ensuing scuffle, the guard beat Surender with an iron
rod leading to his death," he said. Veerpal has been arrested.

The second murder was reported from central Delhi`s
Ranjeet Nagar where a drunken brawl during Holi celebrations
claimed the life of 18-year-old Sanjeev, a labourer, when he
was stabbed allegedly by his friends.
He was celebrating Holi when an argument erupted among
the friends. "The argument soon led a scuffle and in between,
somebody stabbed him in the chest," he said.

All of them were under the influence of alcohol, the
official said. Sanjay was rushed to a nearby hospital where
doctors declared him brought dead.

A total of seven persons were killed in five accidents
yesterday between one pm and 6:30 pm. The accidents were
reported from Bhalswa Dairy, Mongolpuri, Dabri, Neb Sarai and
Punjabi Bagh.

While a 28-year-old and 19-year-old died when their
motorcycle rammed into a divider in Dabri, an unidentified man
met with death in a similar fashion in Mongolpuri.

A 45-year-old woman pedestrian was killed when she was
hit by a car in Neb Sarai and a 20-year-old man crushed to
death by a motorcycle in Punjabi Bagh.

Two teenagers drowned in the capital yesterday while
they were taking bath in river Yamuna after celebrating Holi.

Ajit Kumar (18), a student, drowned in the Yamuna in
Timarpur area when he went to wash off colours after the
celebrations. In a similar incident, 15-year-old Vicky drowned
near Nanaksar Gurudwara in Sonia Vihar when he was taking bath
in the river.

On the challans, the official said, a total of 7,956
people were prosecuted for various offences. For drunken
driving, 624 people were challaned while 154 were booked for
dangerous driving and 1,702 for red light jumping.